Newsflash: March Burda and Spring/Summer Burda Plus Previews Posted

It's a double preview day - both the German and Russian websites have posted the early preview photos for the March 2014 Burda magazine and the 2014 Spring/Summer Burda Plus magazine.  Right now I am feeling like Burda is going a bit overboard with the dust ruffle sleeves, but overall there are quite a few pieces I am interested in, or at least curious to see the line drawings.  Let's take a peak:

March 2014 Burda:

Boucle jackets look like they are going to be a big trend -
there has been at least one in every issue so far this year.

I actually really love the length and cut of this version -
can't wait to see the line drawing.

Not sure how I feel about the pleated skirt, but at least it has pockets.

This top and skirt look like they are a rather basic cut,
but they show off this interesting print well.

Another design that is hard to see through the fabric, but looks like a nice basic dress.

Just finished watching Downton Abbey Season 4 -
I'm seeing the 1920s inspiration for this dress.

The ruffle shirt is pretty cute, but I am hoping we also get the shorts pattern.

The shirt is just too many ruffles - too much volume.
Multiple pairs of shorts make me think that it is a pattern though.

I think this dress is quite pretty and the shoulders are fairly interesting.
The photograph makes me afraid of participating in bouquet tosses though.

I'm assuming this is the non-wedding version of this gown.
Makes me think of a Princess Aurora/Belle mash-up gown.
And I sort of want to twirl around in that skirt.

I am assuming this is the same as the version above -
I don't know how I feel about the sheer skirt -
I do think the sleeves look quite elegant though.

I can understand the appeal of a simple wedding gown,
but this feels almost too basic.  Not sure I love where
that waist seam is hitting her.

Ooooh, a raincoat!  Or rain cape?
I want to see the line drawing on this one.

The plus designs for March look fabulous!
I LOVE this dress - a bit difficult to see the seaming around the neckline,
but could be quite fun in contrast colors.

I could do without the sleeve ruffles, but I really like this top/pants combo.

Another chic look from the Plus section.
I actually really like this top and skirt.

Burda Plus Spring/Summer 2014:

A bit hard to see with the print but my overall opinion of this dress... meh.

The shirt looks quite well fitted, but that skirt is to die for!
A total va-va-voom pencil skirt if ever there was one.

The oversized jacket is ok, and the pants are pretty nice.

A bit hard to see through the prints...
Looks like another waterfall front jacket and skinny trousers.

The sleeve ruffles are quite dramatic in the photo,
but would probably be rather annoying in real life.

I do rather like this basic sheath dress.

We've seen this before...

And this....

And this...

And this.

Seems like half of the Burda Plus magazines are re-prints of the regular Burda issues, and the other half of the patterns are new.  I got a subscription last year because some of the original designs were quite stunning, but based on the preview I might skip this year's issue.

I am actually quite more taken with the plus designs in the March issue, not to mention several of the designs in the regular size ranges.  I am actually quite excited to see some of the line drawings and the rest of the images for that issue, even though a large chunk of it will be taken up by the often less than exciting wedding gown styles.

What do you all think?  Are you excited by either of these issues?  Or are we more enthralled with the spring envelope pattern releases?  Is anyone even interested in doing spring sewing yet?  Because I can tell you that is just went from summer to winter here this week and I am far more inspired to be sewing long sleeve shirts and pajama pants than I am to be sewing spring skirts and dresses.  Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!

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As a side note - I feel as though I have been ignoring the blog quite a bit of late.  I have been doing some sewing, though about half of it has been for skating clients, but I haven't had much chance to photograph finished items.  I have also been doing a bit of reading, but haven't quite got around to reviewing any of my finished books.  At the start of the year I decided that I really needed to work towards reducing the joint pain and inflammation that have been increasingly problematic.  Considering various health problems I have had over the years I decided that trying the Autoimmune Protocol diet (AIP) would be a logical step as I try to reduce many of the inflammatory symptoms I have been experiencing.  So far I would have to say that I am seeing a good bit of improvement - reduced joint pain and clearer skin are definitely noticeable, as well as bit of a boost of energy.  However, I also feel like I have been spending all that extra energy in the kitchen.  And that time and energy have, unfortunately, been taken away from sewing and blogging.  Things are settling in a bit - I don't think I am taking quite so long to prepare vegetables as I was in the beginning - but I am still trying to figure out a good schedule so I can have time to do everything I want to accomplish in a day.  So until I get a schedule sorted out for myself I expect the blog posts will still be quite thin.  I do have finished objects to post, as well as a few new fabrics, and upcoming projects I am working on, but I don't know when I will get the photography and such finished.  I feel a bit bad that I haven't been quite as up to date on posting as I would like to be, but, then again, I also feel like I needed to take the time to focus on improving my health, so I think it is a worth while trade-off.  I suppose all this is to say - I have things coming on the blog, I just don't know when they are coming.  I also suppose this is what one gets for reading George R. R. Marten - apparently his writing style is contagious.